Chelsea Hotel Manager Stanley Bard’s Art Collection Goes to Auction

Stanley Bard, the longtime part-owner and manager of Manhattan’s legendary Chelsea Hotel, has made a name for being a connoisseur of fine art. Throughout his career he has helped many struggling artists—among them Leonard Cohen, Andy Warhol, and Jasper Johns—to live and work in his hotel for little compensation. As a result, he managed to amass one of the most striking collections that capture the creative spirit of the 21st century.

Tom Wesselmann’s “Study for Blue Nude”

Following his recent passing, the exclusive collection, which features works from Tom Wesselman, Karel Appel, and Christo will hit the auction block in May. Many of the pieces speak not only to the history of the now-closed Chelsea Hotel, but to a bygone era of one of New York’s most culturally-rich periods. Most pieces are a testament to Bard’s influence on the artists as with Tom Wesselmann’s Face #1, for instance, featuring the note “For Stanley—With Affection—Tom Wesselmann” on its back. The piece is expected to fetch up to $800,000. Handled by Freeman’s, the auction will handle works from some of the greatest artists of this century.

Tom Wesselmann’s “Face #1”

Slots for the auction will become available at the beginning of May and buyers better hurry up if they want to snap iconic pieces like Philip Taaffe “Untitled”, Larry Rivers “Art and the Artist Portrait and Painting of Arshile Gorky and Christo’s “The Mastaba of Abu Dhabi” – valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Larry Rivers “Art and the Artist Portrait and Painting of Arshile Gorky”